Venezuelan magnate Roberto Rincón arrested in Houston

Venezuelan magnate Roberto Rincón was arrested in Houston on Friday by U.S. authorities on charges involving money laundering, sources close to the operation said.

The businessman is linked to the state-owned PDVSA oil company and to former Venezuela Military Intelligence Director Hugo Carvajal.

Rincón will appear in federal court early next week.

The sources said that Rincón was arrested under suspicion that he violated the sanctions established by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and for participating in a large scale money-laundering operation in Venezuela.

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According to sources, two other people were arrested in connection to the case.

Rincón, wh connection to the case.

Rincón, who amassed a fortune thanks to big contracts with POV, attracted the attention of authorities shortly after Carvajal’s arrest in Aruba. Carvajal had been traveling in a private plane belonging to Rincón.

For years, Rincón has benefited from big petroleum contracts obtained through his businesses, which included the Tradequip firm.